Siumut

Forward
Siumut
AbbreviationSIU
ChairpersonAleqa Hammond
Founded29 July 1977
HeadquartersNuuk
Youth wingSiumut Youth
Ideology
Political positionCentre-left[7]
National affiliationSocial Democrats
Nordic affiliationSAMAK
The Social Democratic Group
Colours
  •   Red[a]
  •   Gold[b]
Inatsisartut
4 / 31
Municipalities
31 / 81
Mayors
2 / 5
Folketing
(Greenland seats)
0 / 2
Election symbol
Website
www.siumut.gl

Siumut (SIU, Greenlandic: Siumut [siumut]; Danish: Fremad; lit. 'Forward') is a political party in Greenland in the social democratic tradition.[8][9][10] Since the establishment of home rule in 1979, it has been the dominant party in Greenland. Siumut is led by Erik Jensen, who beat the then-incumbent Prime Minister Kim Kielsen in a tight leadership contest in late 2020.[11] Party members have been elected to both the parliament of Greenland and the parliament of Denmark.

History

Siumut was formed in 1971 as a political movement, and became a party in 1977. Following the establishment of home rule in Greenland in January 1979, the party won 13 of 21 seats in the 1979 Greenlandic general election for the newly formed Parliament of Greenland (Inatsisartut), and party chairman Jonathan Motzfeldt became the first Prime Minister of Greenland.[5][9]

Following the 1991 Greenlandic general election, Motzfeldt stepped down and was replaced by Lars Emil Johansen, also of Siumut, who governed in coalition with Inuit Ataqatigiit.[5]

Between 1997 and 2002, Motzfeldt was again Prime Minister, until he was succeeded by Hans Enoksen.[9] In the 15 November 2005 general election, the party won 30.7% of the popular vote and 10 out of 31 seats in the parliament. In the 2009 general election, it won 26.5% of the popular vote and nine seats, but the further left and more nationalist Inuit Ataqatigiit won 14 seats and 44% of the popular vote, a landslide victory. Enoksen resigned as party leader and Prime Minister.

Under new party leader Aleqa Hammond, the 2013 election saw Siumut win 42.8% of the popular vote and 14 out of 31 seats, and form a coalition with support of the unionist Atassut and the eco-socialist Inuit Party. The coalition collapsed in 2014, triggering a new election that year. Siumut remained the largest party in the Inatsisartut, but won three fewer seats. New party leader Kim Kielsen replaced Hammond as Prime Minister, forming a coalition with Atassut and the Democrats. Siumut further declined to nine seats in the 2018 Greenlandic general election, though Kielsen was able to lead another coalition. The party gained one seat at the 2021 election, but Inuit Ataqatigiit surpassed Siumut to become the largest party in the Inatsisartut and Kielsen was replaced as Prime Minister by IA's Múte Bourup Egede.

On 10 February 2025, Folketing member Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam departed Siumut and joined Naleraq, claiming that Siumut was insufficiently committed to Greenlandic independence.[12] Her departure meant Siumut was unrepresented in the Folketing for the first time since 1998. The next month, Siumut suffered an historic defeat at the 2025 general election, winning just four seats and falling to fourth place in the Inatsisartut; the party had never had fewer than nine seats and had never been smaller than the second-largest party in the Inatsisartut. Siumut did ultimately join the Democrats-led governing coalition, which included four of the five parties in the Inatsisartut.

Positions

The party was an observer affiliate of the Socialist International.[13]

Siumut representatives sitting in the Danish parliament have been attached to the parliamentary group of the Social Democrats.[9]

Election results

Inatsisartut

ElectionVotes%Seats+/–PositionStatus
19798,50546.1
13 / 21
NewIncrease 1stMajority
198310,37142.3
12 / 26
Decrease 1Decrease 2ndMinority
19849,94944.1
11 / 25
Decrease 1Increase 1stCoalition
19879,98739.8
11 / 27
SteadyDecrease 2ndCoalition (1987–1988)
Minority (1988–1991)
19919,33637.3
11 / 27
SteadyIncrease 1stCoalition
19959,80338.4
12 / 31
Increase 1Steady 1stCoalition
19999,89935.2
11 / 31
Decrease 1Steady 1stCoalition
20028,15128.5
10 / 31
Decrease 1Steady 1stCoalition
20058,86130.7
10 / 31
SteadySteady 1stCoalition
20097,56726.5
9 / 31
Decrease 1Decrease 2ndOpposition
201312,91042.8
14 / 31
Increase 5Increase 1stCoalition (2013–2014)
Minority (2014)
201410,10834.3
11 / 31
Decrease 3Steady 1stCoalition
20187,95927.2
9 / 31
Decrease 2Steady 1stCoalition
20217,98630.1
10 / 31
Increase 1Decrease 2ndOpposition (2021–2022)
Coalition (2022–2025)
20254,21014.9
4 / 31
Decrease 6Decrease 4thCoalition

Folketing

ElectionGreenland
Votes%Seats+/–Position
19796,27344.1
1 / 2
NewIncrease 2nd
19817,17637.7
1 / 2
SteadySteady 2nd
19849,14842.6
1 / 2
SteadySteady 2nd
19876,94443.3
1 / 2
SteadyIncrease 1st
19888,41540.1
1 / 2
SteadySteady 1st
19908,27242.8
1 / 2
SteadySteady 1st
1994did not contest[c]
19988,50236.5
1 / 2
Increase 1Increase 1st
20018,27225.9
1 / 2
SteadyDecrease 2nd
20057,76134.3
1 / 2
SteadyIncrease 1st
20078,06832.5
1 / 2
SteadySteady 1st
20118,49937.1
1 / 2
SteadyDecrease 2nd
20157,83138.2
1 / 2
SteadySteady 2nd
20196,05829.4
1 / 2
SteadySteady 2nd
20227,42438.6
1 / 2
SteadyIncrease 1st

Party leaders

#LeaderTerm of officePrime Minister
1Jonathan Motzfeldt29 July 197719781979–1991, 1997–2002
19781979
198012 August 1987
26 May 199817 September 2001
2Moses Olsen1978-
3Lars-Emil Johansen197919801991–1997
12 August 1987September 1997
4Mikael PetersenSeptember 199726 May 1998-
5Hans Enoksen17 September 20018 June 20092002–2009
6Aleqa Hammond8 June 200918 October 20142013–2014
29 June 2025Incumbent
7Kim Kielsen18 October 201429 November 20202014–2021
8Erik Jensen29 November 202012 March 2025-
-Vivian Motzfeldt (interim)12 March 202529 June 2025-

Notes

  1. ^ Since 2021
  2. ^ Prior to 2021
  3. ^ In the 1994 Danish general election, an independent won a seat in the Danish Parliament, but it seems the Siumut party did not contest that particular election.
  • Official website
  • Greenlandic Parliament official website
  • The North Atlantic Group in the Danish Parliament

References

  1. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2018). "Greenland/Denmark". Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Anti-mine party wins Greenland election". The West Australian. 7 April 2021.
  3. ^ [1][2]
  4. ^ "Siumut wants independence for Greenland". DR. 21 February 2013. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Bernard A. Cook (8 February 2001). Europe Since 1945: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 585. ISBN 978-1-135-17932-8.
  6. ^ "Greenland election shows divide over rare-earth metals mine". The Independent. 6 April 2021.
  7. ^ [5][6]
  8. ^ Christina Bergqvist (1 January 1999). Equal Democracies?: Gender and Politics in the Nordic Countries. Nordic Council of Ministers. p. 319. ISBN 978-82-00-12799-4.
  9. ^ a b c d Alastair H. Thomas (10 May 2010). The A to Z of Denmark. Scarecrow Press. p. 374. ISBN 978-1-4616-7184-8.
  10. ^ Greenland: Government and society, Britannica Online Encyclopedia.
  11. ^ "Siumut gets new chairman". 29 November 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam har meldt sig ind i et nyt parti". DR (in Danish). 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
  13. ^ Member Parties of the Socialist International
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